Mr Mets Daily

Mets done with Church...

No, this title has nothing to do with Religion, but with the fact that the Mets have parted ways with concussion riddled outfielder Ryan Church. Surprisingly, the Mets and Braves, two fierce but under performing division rivals, have agreed to a trade.

Ryan Church is now a Brave and Jeff Francoeur is now  a Met. Francoeur is a power hitting right hander with a canon for an arm who won a gold glove in 2007. He was considered a super star in the making a few years back but his production has suffered of late, in fact he was sent down to the minors earlier this season.

Perhaps a change of scenary will do wonders for both players. The Mets hope that Francoeur, with his ability to pull the ball consistently, can find his groove once again at Citi Field...

Mets revert to their losing ways....

Man when the Mets lose they lose ugly! 11-2 at the hands of the Dodgers at home just doesn't cut it. What happened? Lets see; Livan Hernandez was once again terrible, he was 5-1 at one point and is now 5-5. The Mets could muster little to no offense. They got robbed by the umpire on a bad call at second base when Luis Castillo had thrown out Rafeal Furcal leading to two more runs. Not that it mattered.

Back to the pitching. Hernandez has had two consecutive awful outings. One more and perhaps it is time to bring Jon Niese back up from Buffalo, where he is pitching rather well. Not that that alone would fix the Mets problems.

If this team has any illusions of playing October baseball this season they must either get healthy quickly or make some serious personnel changes....

The Mets win a game!!!!

Mets fans, this is no misprint, they actually won a game! Jerry Manuel's boys actually got one last night beating the Dodgers 5-4. Oliver Perez even contributed---somewhat.

In his first start in two months, Ollie went five innings yielding just two runs, (and seven walks--might want to work on that part Ollie), but he got it done and gave the Mets a desperately needed victory (desperate not so much in the standings where they are just 4 1/2 back, but for their team morale and fading confidence).

Wins can do wonders for a struggling team.

There were some highlights like Danny Murphy's barehanded grab of a grounder in the seventh that popped off the bag and he caught it and in one motion made a perfect behind the back toss to Bobby Parnell to record the out. Also the slumping David Wright had two hits, perhaps he is coming out of it.

As usual the Mets make you nervous right to the end as K-Rod had trouble in the ninth. He allowed a homer by Manny Ramirez and two base runners before finally getting the final out and letting Mets fans exhale.

It was a win and I will gladly take it, lets hope it is the start of better days...

The wheels are coming off....

Things are going from bad to worse for the Mets. Last night they were thouroughly embarressed at home 8-0 by Joe Torre and the Dodgers. The Mets appear to be spiraling out of control---and it isn't even September yet.

Mike Pelfrey had possibly the worst outing of his career. I know the Mets are severely banged up but right now they are an awful baseball team. When they get good pitching (see Johan Santana) they don't hit. When they hit, they get lousy pitching, if they hit and pitch they do things like drop routine pop ups (see Luis Castillo).

They are a mess and something needs to be done---quickly!

They are only four games under .500 and still in the race. There is also plenty of baseball yet to be played. However, this Mets team shows all the signs of a club ready to implode...

Mets doing their September swoon early....

I have been on a brief leave of absence dealing with some urgent Family matters. It seems the Mets have been away as well. Generally they wait until September to implode. This season they apppear determined to get it over with early.

After being swept by the Phillies this weekend, the Mets record dropped to 39-42 and four games back of first place. The only reason they are even that close is the Phillies just came off a dismal 4-14 run (which the Mets failed to capitalize on). For a slumping team like the Phils, the Mets must have been a sight for sore eyes.

Once again, the Mets managed to waste an outstanding outing by Johan Santana (can't blame him if he were to ask to be traded). 

I had hoped to return to the world of Mets writing on a happier note, but... 

Mets get "CC'd"....

It was ugly Mets fans, no other way to put it. C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees crushed the Mets 9-1 last night to off start round two of the subway series. The Mets were never really in this game. Sabathia was perfect through four innings until Gary Sheffield produced the Mets lone run with a solo blast in the fifth. Sabathia struck out twelve overwhelmed Met hitters.

Much like the first game of the last subway series, errors hurt the Mets as David Wright, Alex Cora and Nick Evans all committed costly errors. I realize the Mets are decimated by injury unlike few other teams in baseball, however, there is simply no excuse for all the mental and physical errors this team displays.

When key players are out you are supposed to step up your game not beat yourself. The only saving grace is that the Phillies are in a free fall at the moment allowing the Mets to hang around...

Good news and bad news...

As a Mets fan, sometimes I feel like we just cannot catch a break. If something positive happens, it seems as if there is a balancing negative; the team hits well, but gets lousy pitching, they get great pitching but don't hit a lick (see Johan Santana), they do both well, but cannot field their position (see Luis Castillo), the Phillies lose eight of nine at home and the Mets lose almost as many failing to gain ground. You get the idea. So it was fitting that last night they beat the Cards 6-4 but lose Carlos Beltran for fifteen days due to the bone bruise on his knee.

However, Beltran remains optimistic; "This is an injury that might take 15 days. It might take a little bit longer. It depends how fast I heal," Beltran said. "It's difficult because of the situation where we are. Right now, basically, David Wright is the only guy that is out there aand playing every day. Reyes out, Delgado, myself - I've never been on a team where a lot of guys get hurt, and for a long period of time. At the same time I'm happy I know what I have and I don't have to go through surgery. I know, with rest, I'll be back."

The Mets basically need to find a way to hang in the race while playing with a skeleton crew.

As far as the game, I am more and more impressed with the play of Omir Santos who had four hits last night. Alex Cora also came up huge with two late inning RBI's and Tim Redding came up with his first victory of the season. That is what the Mets (35-33, 1 1/5 back of Philly) desperately need; the role players to contribute. My fear though is that Philly may get hot while the Mets are trying to get healthy---keep your fingers crossed that doesn't happen...

On behalf of the NY Mets; "sorry Johan"....

The Mets really should apologize to Johan Santana. Once again they managed to waste a masterful performance by their ace. Yesterday at Citi Field, Johan Santana went 7 1/3 awesome innings. The result; a 3-1 Mets loss to the Rays.

This is getting a bit old. Yes, I understand that he generally draws the opponents ace so Mets hitters have a tough task when Johan is on the mound. Yes, James Shields was awesome in his own right yesterday. But still, they have wasted at least four outings for Santana this season that should have been victories.

Yesterday really hurt since the slumping Phillies dropped their fifth straight but the Mets once again failed to capitalize.

The only good news was the fact that Johan Santana returned to form after several mediocre starts had caused some, myself included, to question whether his elbow was more seriously hurt then thought initially (remember he had tendonitis in the spring).

Bottom line; the Mets need to learn how to scratch out victories in these hard fought pitchers duels. That is what winners do....  

Is Fernando Nieve "Wally Pipping" Oliver Perez???

When the Mets signed Fernando Nieve after being discarded by the Houston Astros they did not have delusions of granduer. They felt he could be a stop gap type of pitcher to plug in for emergency situations. But while Oliver Perez and his $36M contract (can anyone say highway robbery....) are in Triple A trying---without much success, to find the strike zone, Nieve is getting the job done.

Last week he shut down the Yankees. Last night he shut down the Tampa Bay Rays. Nieve yielded just one earned run on three hits over six innings as the Mets topped the Rays 5-3. Take your time Ollie, we are doing just fine with your replacement.

Now, I realize technically Nieve is taking John Maine's spot in the rotation (Maine should be back in about a week),but make no mistake; one more outing like this and Nieve will be in the rotation and probably in Perez' spot, which is just fine with me...

Don't vote for Pedro....

Pedro Feliciano has been excellent for the Mets this season, but last night clearly wasn't his night. He came into the game in the seventh with the score tied at four and promptly blew the deal as the Orioles beat the Mets 6-4.

He gave up a single to Nick Marakis then Aubrey Huff took him deep;  

"I threw him two fastballs and he took it all the way," Feliciano said about last night's encounter with Huff. "I said, 'Okay, he's waiting for my cutter.' I threw it, but I didn't hit my spot. I hung it inside and he got a good swing. ...(Brian) Schneider called a slider to Aubrey Huff, but I shook it (off). I said, 'I want to throw a cutter.' I didn't hit my spot."

Should have listened to Schneider....

Mets bounce back...

This afternoon in Da Bronx, the NY Mets bounced back from what was easily their worst loss of a season which already has seen too many heart breakers. In the "battle of the three Fernando's" (sorry, but they kept making a big deal out of the totally useless fact that today's game was the first in MLB history to feature three players named Fernando----Tatis, Martinez and Nieve), the Mets got a huge outing out of one of the Fernando's (Nieve), who went 6 2/3 innings yielding just a pair of runs.

On a serious note, the Mets desperately needed to get this victory because last night was simply brutal. They did as they played a solid game in their 6-2 win and actually displayed some solid fundamental baseball (see guys, it really isn't all that difficult).

In terms of the big picture, I am still very concerned about the Mets who have just shown a disturbing tendency this season to beat themselves. Today they showed what they are capable of when they play hard, keep their heads in the game and perform the little things well. 

As I have been harping on, it is the "little things" that make a difference over the course of a 162 game schedule. On Sunday, the Mets ace, Johan Santana takes the hill and they need to win this series and try to establish some momentum as lately they have just been dangerously generous to the opposition.

(On a lighter note, I wonder if they will point out tomorrow that it is the first time in the history of baseball that a day after a team started three Fernandos, they failed to do so the next day?????) 

Un-friggin-believable!!!

I could not believe my eyes last night as I witnessed the Mets losing a game to their cross town rival Yankees in a manner that will be remembered for years to come. Lots of things----good and bad, happened last night in the Bronx. But there is just one "Bill Buckner" like play that will live on forever.

The Mets were nursing a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth. K-Rod was on the mound. A-Rod was at the plate. Runners on first and second. Two outs. I felt very confident of a Mets victory as we all know A-Rod is not exactly Mr. Clutch. Sure enough, Madonna's ex popped one up to second base. I started to celebrate. Then, it happened!

On a play as routine as you will ever see, Luis castillo, doing his best Little League imitation, dropped the routine pop up! 

Both runners scored and the Yankees won. A-Rod got mobbed by his teammates as if he had just accomplished something. 

I sat there staring at the screen in utter disbelief. Castillo, if he has a soul, will either return his paycheck this week or give it to charity----he does not deserve it!

Cole Hammels called the Mets chokers this off season. He was right!

The Mets continue to find ways to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Players missing bases when running, mental lapses, physical errors---dropped pop ups. This does not add up to winning baseball. The Mets have serious problems and I am starting to come to the conclusion that the manager, Jerry Manuel, must bear the burden of responsibility. A well coached team, rooted in the simple fundamentals of the game, simply do not  beat themselves as often as the "bad news Mets "do.

It is too soon to panic, but some serious evaluation is in order. The Mets of course can still get it back on track. They still have numerous players on the DL. But I am very concerned about the shoddy brand of baseball they are playin, they have simply given too many away....  

Injuries catching up to Mets...

The Mets lost last night to the Phillies 6-3 in 10 innings giving the Phils a 2 out of 3 series win. However, and not to make excuses since Lord knows the Mets find ways to lose even when they have all hands on deck, the injuries are simply cathcing up to them.

When you are missing Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and J.J. Putz among others, it will hurt you. Now even John Maine has joined the list going on the fifteen day disabled list. Met manager Jerry Manuel knows they need to fight to hang on;

"What we have to do, to be honest with you, we have to remain over .500 until we get the rest of the guys back," Manuel said. "At that point I think we're capable of running off 15 out of 20." Lets hope so.

The absense of JJ Putz may have been the Mets undoing this series as he could have really been used in the eight inning Wednesday night allowing Pedro Feliciano to pitch the fateful seventh inning in which the Mets blew a three run lead (they used him in Putz's spot in the eight). Last night, with Putz healthy, perhaps Ken Takahashi would not have been there to serve up the three run homer to Raul (steriods) Ibanez in the tenth----actually, I don't really think he is on roids, but what the hell...

So, the Mets, four games back of the Phils, limp into Yankee Stadium tonight to face a Yankee team fresh off being swept by the Red Sox. Let the subway series begin....

Mets blow golden opportunity....

The Ny Mets should have won last night's game against the Phillies going away. They had 16 hits on the night---albeit 15 of them singles, and had a 4-1 lead in the seventh. Instead they lost 5-4 in eleven innings when Chase Utley slammed the game winner off of Bobby Parnell.

The problem, and one which has haunted them before, they left an astounding 16 runners on base! That is simply unacceptable. Twice they left the bases loaded. If the Mets wanted to prove Philly ace Cole Hammels, who called them chokers, wrong, they probably did the opposite.

They had numerous chances to put this thing away and they repeatedly failed.The Mets, if they want to win the NL East, must capitalize on these chances especially against the Phillies.

So now, instead of being one game back with the chance to tie tonight, they are three back and hoping not to lose ground in the standings.

You only get so many opportunities in this league----the Mets need to start taking advantage of them... 

Mets day one draft picks....

The Mets had just two picks on the first day of the MLB draft and they selected Steven Matz and Robert Shields.

Matz, 6'3" 180, is from Long Island and grew up a Mets fan. He is a hard throwing left handed pitcher. The 18 year old throws consistently in the low 90's and also has a changeup and a curve. He needs some work on his delivery but is very promising.

Robert Shields is an offensive shortstop with good instincts for the game. He played college ball at Florida Southern and so far this season he is hitting .345 with 5 homers and 37 RBI.

Check back later for the Mets day two selections. 

Mets help out Johan...

If ever there were a pitcher who deserved to get a win on a night where he had less then his best stuff, it is Johan Santana. Santana, 8-3, was robbed earlier this season twice in games where despite his not giving up an earned run, he still got the loss.

So last night against the Phillies, Johan Santana looked very human. He gave up five runs including four homers---not very "Johan-like". But, the Mets had his back.

Ryan Church, David Wright and Carlos Beltran all went deep to provide the run support to get their ace the win. Santana is not used to winning 6-5 games, but he and all Mets fans will take it. Especially against the hated rival and first place Phils....

Mets Win Series, What Do They Need to Win the Division?

The New York Mets handled the fish this weekend taking two out of three games from their division rivals. The Mets have the best record playing division opponents in 2009 and have a very impressive 17-9 record at their new home. But what do the Mets need to do to overtake the Phillies and win the division?

You have to give the Mets credit for holding their own with the injuries they have had hit them. When guys like Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran are not in the lineup, a team should suffer. The Mets have not. Strong starting pitching and a new back end of the bullpen have been keys to their success.

Even if Reyes and Beltran play healthy the rest of the season, do the Mets have what they need to make the playoffs? The short answer is possibly. They have one of if not the top ace in the game in Johan Santana. While there are question marks over the course of a season with John Maine and Mike Pelfrey, both have been solid so far and Livan Hernandez has been better then expected. K-Rod and J.J. Putz were what the doctor ordered for the eighth and ninth innings and Feliciano and Parnell have found success in their roles. So what is the concern?

Depth. The Mets do not have the depth that they need to erase the question marks for the full season. They need another set up man quality reliever that can pitch in the eighth inning to spot Putz and K-Rod. When the dog days of August come, these guys will have needed some rest. If they do not get it, it may be another September to forget.

The bench is also lacking the pop it needs to compete. Sheffield has been a better then expected role player, but beyond him, what real weapon do you have when you need a pinch hitter late in the the game? When you look at the Phillies, they have Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, and Chris Coste all on their bench that can step out and hit a three run homerun. The Mets need at least one more guy like that.

The Mets could make 2009 their year. They need to get healthy and stay healthy, and they need two additions before the trade deadline. If they add another set up man and a solid bench player, this could be the year that our Mets return to the postseason and leave the Phillies wondering what happened in September.

Mets to host the Marlins this weekend...

The New York Mets, 26-20 and in first place in the NL East, are planning a little fish fry this weekend as the Florida Marlins come to town. The Mets just completed a three game sweep of the Washington Nationals despite playing without the services of Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Joey Cora and Ryan Church.

That either makes them incredibly resilient----or just fortunate the Nationals were in town....you decide. Either way, they did what they had to do. The good news for the Mets is that while they are severely injury depleted, they are not exactly playing against the cream of the crop of MLB teams.

The schedule gave the Mets a huge break and to their credit, they have, so far, taken advantage. Lets hope they can continue their winning ways over weaker opponents while they start to get some players back....  

New York Mets quick hits, 5/29, 5/30, 5/31:

• Tuesday night was the 46th complete game of Livan Hernandez' career

• Gary Sheffield is tied for 24th all time with Eddie Murray---each has 504 Hr's

• The Mets-Phillies game from May 3, which was rained out, has been rescheduled as a seperate admission double header to be played at 8:05Pm on Sunday, September 13th

• Oliver Perez made his first rehab start at Buffalo this week----only five walks in four innings...

• The Mets are 14-8 at Citi Field

• Starting pitching for 5/29:  Mike Pelfrey (4-1, 4.31) vs Sean West (0-0, 3.60)

• Starting pitching for 5/30: Tim Redding (0-1, 6.75) vs Josh Johnson (3-1, 2.67) 1:10pm

• Starting pitching for 5/31: John Maine (4-3, 4.18) vs Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.69) 1:10Pm

Murphy's law---Mets back in first!!!!!

Ho-hum---another night, another Mets play reviewed, another Mets win. This time the review was for a blast by Danny Murphy, who knocked in five runs, including the disputed homer (they called it in our favor).

In the sixth inning with the resurgent Gary Sheffield on first, Murphy cracked one to rightfield that appeared to possibly be a double, or so thought the umpire. He felt it hit the top of the wall and thus was in play. Sheffield was thrown out at the plate. Then came the happy review which showed the ball actually scrapped the facade, thereby, homerun. The Mets seem to have these reviews on an almost daily basis of late. 

Johan Santana started and did not exactly have his usual dominant stuff, despite his eleven strikeout performance----the Mets had fifteen on the evening during the 7-4 victory capping the sweep of the lowly Nats.

The Mets, once again, first place Mets, continue to win despite the recent rash of injuries. For the naysayers out there, remember they also took two out of three in Boston over the Memorial Day weekend.

The club received some good news today as it appears Carlos Beltran may be back as early as Sunday...

A night of first's at Citi Field....

Last night's 6-1 victory by the Mets over the Nationals at Citi Field was a night of first's in many ways; Livan Hernandez pitched the first ever complete game at the new digs, top prospect Fernando Martinez made his MLB debut, it was the first game in the last four the Mets didn't need video replay---and, least importantly, it was my first game at Citi Field.

Let me start there, the park is incredible! My only question is this; our seats were in the very first row in Right Field----the Pepsi Porch, why is the railing so low? Seriously, a couple of times we got up to cheer and the thing is barely over my knees---I thought I was going to end up in right field!

More importantly, Livan hernandez was money! By the way, he threw 127 pitches and so far as I can tell, he isn't in dire need of medical attention. I hate the "pitch count"!

The Mets are badly banged up. No Reyes, no Beltran, no Delgado, no Church---yet the subs find ways to win. Angel Pagan made a perfect throw to nail a runner at the plate, fernando Martinez drove in a run. They are finding ways.

Don't get me wrong, I know the Nationals are basically a high school team, but still...

On that note, the Mets next eleven games are against the Nats, Pirates and Marlins---they need to take advantage while they start hopefully getting people back. 

Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran will undergo an MRI today to determine the cause of the pain in his right knee. With any luck, it will turn out to be nothing serious.

With Carlos Delgado already out and Jose Reyes struggling with tendinitis in his calf, the last thing the Mets need is a lengthy absense from Beltran...

Mets win another video replay (and a game...)

For the third time in three days, the Mets had a play reviewed by officials, and for the third time, they got it right.

Gary Sheffield slammed a homerun in the sixth inning giving starter John Maine a 4-1 lead. However, it was reviewed for fan interference, but after a lenghty delay, they awarded Sheffield the homerun.

The Mets now lead baseball in successful video reviews! There should be a category for that.

John Maine was solid once again in beating the Washington Nationals, 5-2. I know it is only the Nats, but you have to beat up the teams you are suposed to beat up in this league.

The Mets, 24-20, have now won three out of four and look to add another tonight. Greg Stammen goes for the Nats against Livan Hernancez.

I will be making my Citi Field debut tonight! (okay, so maybe that is only exciting to me, but I am looking forward to it). I was lucky enough to score a pair of front row seats in the Pepsi Porch out in rightfield so I will be enjoying a great view as I nurse my $9 beers!

Remember to check out our new and improved MLBComplete page!!!!

Lets go to the video tape!!!!

Sorry to use that famous tag line from legendary sportscaster Warner Wolf, but that is exactly what happened last night at Fenway. In the top of the ninth inning, the Mets trailed the Red Sox 2-1. There were two out and a runner on. The batter was Mets backup (for now) Catcher Omir Santos.

Santos caught a Jonathon Papelbon fastball and smacked it to the very top of the green monster. It was originally, and wrongly, ruled a double on the field. Met manager Jerry Manuel came out to protest and they did a video review. Ironically, the decision to institute video review came from an inter-league game last year when the Mets were screwed out of a homerun at Yankee Stadium.

Anyhow, the tape clearly showed the ball went just over the top of the wall, bounced on a ledge in homerun territory, then bonced back on the field of play------they got it right. Though you would have a tough time convincing Red Sox manager Terry Francona who carried on like a teen age girl whose text messaging privledges had just been revoked. Sorry Terry; homerun Mets.

What a dramatic comeback by the Mets who got a rock solid seven inning, two run performance out of Mike Pelfrey.

The Mets go for the sweep of the "Saux" tonight with Tim Redding going against Tim Wakefield.

By the way, J.J. Putz came on to get the save since K-Rod was having another bout of back spasms, in fact he was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Hopefully, nothing serious.

Remember to check out our new and improved MLBComplete page!!!! 

Johan gets it done...

Tonight's 5-3 Mets victory over the Red Sox at Fenway may not have been Johan Santana's best game (then again, sometimes when he pitches exceptionally well, the Mets lose 1-0...). But, Santana did the Mets proud.

What I refer to is an incident late in the game where Santana threw inside---not badly inside, but on the inside part of the plate, and hit Kevin Youkalis (by the way, is it just me or does he not look like Yukon Jack from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer????). Just a question. Anyhow, Yukon started squalking as he walked down the first base line and Santana was having none of it.

Johan basically gestured to the cartoon character that if he wanted to come to the mound and pay a visit----bring it on! Yukon declined.

What I liked even more was what Santana had to say post game where he said he was going to stand up for his teammates----David Wright was pitched inside all night.

A little leadership goes a long way....

Please check out our new and redesigned (and much quicker loading) MLBComplete page!!!!

 

Mets to visit Green Monster....

The New York Mets will be spending Memorial Day weekend in Beantown playing the Boston Red Sox. The Mets enter the series at 21-18, one game back of Philly.

After dropping four straight the Mets need to get it back on track. They have been playing sloppy baseball of late to say the least. Jerry Manuel needs to do whatever he must to get this team focused because, in my mind, when you lose games due to things like missing bases and not communicating on fly balls, these are purely mental errors that indicate a lack of focus. 

The Mets have been struggling to score runs without Carlos Delgado in the lineup which just hightens the need to be sharp and focused. The Mets will need to find ways to scratch out runs while their big bat is healing.

Speaking of Delgado, he is being replaced at first base by Danny Murphy, which is a good move in my opinion----Murphy in left field was a liability. Of course, I am not sure how much better Gary Sheffield will be.

The Mets have their ace, Johan Santana (5-2) on the mound tonight---lets hope they can score for him against Daiseke Matsuzaka.

NY Mets quick hits 5/22, 5/23, 5/24: 

• David Wright leads MLB with a .462 average this month
• The Mets pen continues to lead the majors with a 2.82 era
• The Mets are 12-6 in May
• The Mets lead the NL with 15 triples
• starting pitchers for 5/22: Mike Pelfrey (4-1, 4.61) vs Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.85)
• starting pitchers for 5/23: Tim Redding (0-0, 3.00) vs Tim Wakefield (5-2, 3.59)

Oh boy.....

I can hear it now---after getting swept by the Dodgers with last nights 2-1 loss, the talk radio airwaves are going to be fired up today. Fire Jerry! Fire Omar! Trade Reyes! Here it comes.

But, I actually understand the sentiment. This team is just too talented to keep playing such piss-poor fundamental baseball. They still have a winning record, there is still plenty of baseball left to play, but there is also sufficient cause for concern.

Namely, the lack of fundamentals which, to me, is inexcusable! I blame the players for that but more so, I blame the coach. Too many mental gaffs are being made by this Mets team. That never happened with teams managed by guys like Whitey Herzog or Tommy Lasorda. The reason----they would not tolerate it! Also, they spent countless hours drilling their players on executing the fundamentals. 

They now have a day off then head into Boston---most likely without the services of Jose Reyes who aggravated his calf last night.....it could be a very interesting Memorial Day weekend!

Mets drop another ugly one....

I will say this about the NY Mets; they are not boring. They always seem to flip flop from one extreme to another. After winning the first three in San Francisco and getting Mets fans hopes up, they turn right around and prove they can give it right back in the blink of an eye after three straight error filled losses.

John Maine was not effective last night during the Mets 5-3 loss to the Dodgers. But, once again, his teammates didn't exactly help out. The lack of run support without Carlos Delgado is clearly going to be a problem for the Mets.

However, an even bigger problem is their amazing ability to continue to make amatuerish, stupid, mental errors. Monday night the Mets committed five errors and had two huge mental gaffis; a lack of communication in the outfield between Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan and a brutal baserunning blunder by Ryan Church.

Last night David Wright made another inexcusable baserunning error as he turned first way too wide after a single and got thrown out. Physical errors are one thing; mental lapses are inexcusable. Jerry Manuel needs to quickly find a way to get the Mets heads out of their @#$%^.

Still and all, the Mets are above .500 and in the mix---I am just concerned that these games they are giving away will in fact come back to haunt them in September....

Delgado out for the season???

In more bad news for the Ny Mets, it appears first baseman Carlos Delgado, who is headed for surgery this week, could possibly be gone for the season. If not the season, this surgery evidently requires at least a two month healing cycle meaning the earliest the slugger would be back in the lineup would be mid-July---and that is being optimistic.

How the Mets deal with his loss will be critical---keep your fingers crossed, Mets fans....

Mets look like Little Leaguers in brutal loss!!!

I don't know what it is with the Mets. They are in first place, they have been winning much more then losing of late, they have done some good things, but sheesh----when they lose they lose ugly! They dropped an eleven inning, 3-2 decision last night to the Dodgers. It is another game the Mets should have won.

Case in point (this will help you with my Little League reference)with the game tied in the top of the eleventh, Ryan Church was on first base. Angel Pagan drilled one into the gap that should have easily scored the go ahead run. It would have too except that Mr. Church was evidently unaware that your foot must touch third base before heading home! Inexcusable for a Big leaguer to be called out on such a careless play!

You want more? In the bottom of the eleventh, a fly ball was hit to the outfield, should have been Beltran's ball (you are supposed to defer to the Centerfielder when either player can get to it). Well, someone forgot to impart this little bit of baseball wisdom on Angel Pagan who did not defer and the two players watched the ball fall between them setting the table for the game winning run.

I got visions of Walter Matthau coaching the Bad News Bears last night!

The Mets are still in first and that is good, but if they keep on blowing games they should win it will come back to haunt them, once again, in September.  

Redding to make Mets debut tonight in LA!!!!

Tim Redding will make his NY Mets debut tonight at 10:10pm in Los Angeles against Joe Torre's first place Dodgers. Redding will be replacing Jon Niese, who replaced Oliver Perez in the four spot in the Mets starting rotation.

Redding was sent down to the Mets triple A affiliate in Buffalo to rehab a strained rotator cuff. Ironically, the man he will be facing tonight, Randy Wolf, was also in the mix this off season as the Mets looked for a fourth starter. If you recall, it was between Redding, Wolf, Oliver Perez and, much as it pains me to say it, the man they should have taken even with the extra year demanded on his contract, Derek Lowe.

NY Mets quick hits; 5/18, 5/19, 5/20:

• The Mets are 12-3 in the month of May

• The Mets, without Jose Reyes, stole 13 bases this weekend

• Carlos Beltran has a 21 day road hitting streak working

• The Mets bullpen continues to lead the NL with a 3.05 era

• The Mets have outscored their opponents 40-24 in the first inning

• Starting pitchers; 5/19:   John Maine (3-2, 4.24) vs Chad Billingsley (5-1, 2.30)

• Starting pitchers; 5/20:   Livan Hernandez (3-1, 5.59) vs Eric Stults (4-1, 3.82)